Modern telephones now have the capability of implementing wide ranges of features such as speed dial, intercom, conference, transfer, etc. These features are typically provided by the telephone vendor, and accordingly have general applicability to wide classes of users of the telephone. With the exception of speed dial programmability, however, the features are not able to be customized for particular individual users or small groups of users. For example, a typical office telephone, whether conventional or voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) includes a large number of buttons which, when activated, implement particular features designated by the system vendor, such as mute, conference, hold, and the like. They sometimes also include a number of buttons—“speed dial buttons”—which may be programmed by the user to dial specific telephone numbers.
Implementation of functionality beyond that built into the telephone system at the time of sale typically involves memorizing detailed keystroke sequences, such as *9# to transfer a call to a subsequently-entered extension. Remembering these keystroke sequences can be frustrating, and results in all but the most commonly used functionality being ignored. There is essentially no easy way for a user or a system administrator to implement user specific functionality or even small user group specific functionality for a telephone system.
Another limitation of conventional telephone interfaces is that they do not provide feedback on real-time call state or current configuration of the function associated with the speed dial. Speed dialing is typically limited to functions controlled by a central telephone switch. As a result, there is no ability to program functions that affect the device, such as mute or the user interface, or to program non-telephony functionality, such as opening windows or invoking an Internet URL.
More recent telephony systems provide a “soft” client allowing control of calls from a display screen, e.g., ShoreTel's™“Personal Call Manager”™ or Cisco Systems™ “Unified Personal Communications Console.”™ Other telephony-enabled clients are available that integrate Instant Messaging and IM Presence, e.g. Microsoft™ “Office Communicator 2005”™ or Skype™. These systems provide a user interface that appears on a user's display screen. Such approaches allow dialing an extension by entering the name of the person to call, as well as other features such as speed dial. These systems, however, do not allow a user of an extension, or even a system administrator for that system, to define custom functionality for a particular button or buttons on a computer or similar device that is not physically a part of the telephone itself.